Meet Rep. Farhat

State Rep. Alabas Farhat proudly serves the 3rd House District, which comprises most of Dearborn, all of Melvindale and parts of Detroit. Farhat has a strong passion for public service, and he carries that dedication with him to Lansing as he advocates for both the residents in his district and for the wellbeing of all Michiganders across the state. Through his experience serving at all levels of government, Farhat has learned that real change starts with the people. That’s why he immensely values listening to and working closely with residents — he believes this direct communication and close connection with constituents is the key to revitalizing the community, improving the standard of living for all and creating positive change for generations to come. In order to manifest these changes, Farhat knows public health, public safety, economic development and strong infrastructure must be central legislative priorities.

Farhat’s unique and valuable background informs his work as a legislator as he fights for making improvements in all areas of public health. Before serving as state representative, he graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a bachelor’s degree in public health and went on to pursue a master’s of public policy at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy with a focus on social policy development. He knows that public health is panoramic in its reach — it touches all Michigan families and all aspects of Michigan communities, which means a strong foundation in public health equates to an excellent health care system, a diverse and skilled workforce, supported and mobilized communities and partnerships, and a clean and protected environment.

The representative’s experience and background also benefits his work as a lawmaker by informing the ways he advocates to increase public safety in Michigan. He has supported a range of public safety policies — from road safety bills and school safety laws to legislation that establishes a new avenue of public safety funding — to protect the wellbeing of residents and reduce crime at the community level. Farhat works closely with local partners to establish smart solutions to prevent violence. He brings that work and community feedback with him to Lansing to create comprehensive approaches that fund communities, people and programs to enhance public safety and violence prevention policies that make real, tangible impacts.

Economic development is the third facet in Farhat’s four-pronged legislative priority agenda. Innovative ideas and strategic local-level investments guide the representative; plus, he always keeps in mind the key role local businesses have in making a community thrive. Furthermore, as the son of immigrants, Farhat understands the importance of fostering equitable opportunity and ensuring access to the American Dream — this is why he fights for legislative policies that create tools for everyone to move up the economic ladder.

Ensuring Michigan has a strong and reliable infrastructure rounds out Farhat’s list of legislative priorities. He gives precedence to policy choices that make the necessary investments to advance infrastructure in his district and employ sustainable practices in the process. Ensuring all Michiganders have safe roads, an updated power grid, and clean air to breathe and water to drink will always be a principal priority for Farhat — he understands the state government’s role is crucial in strengthening Michigan’s today and tomorrow.

Though public health, public safety, economic development and infrastructure compose the foundation of Rep. Farhat’s legislative priority agenda as he champions for both his district and communities across the state, he works collaboratively with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move legislation forward that puts first the interest of all Michiganders and the state as a whole.